I grew up with two rabbits—not two living rabbits that I fed and kept as pets but fictional rabbits, rabbits of lore. You might be thinking, "There's so many! How can you choose?" It's true, there are many fictional rabbits out there, and I’m sure everyone has their favorite, like Br’er Rabbit, The Velveteen Rabbit, and Bunnicula.
Tricksters and Cuteness
For me there were two. First, Rabbit (or Jistu). Rabbit is the main trickster of Cherokee tales, the one called upon to teach others lessons. Think of him like a Native version of Bugs Bunny and you have Rabbit of Cherokee lore. My favorite tale with Rabbit is a story about why Vulture is bald. Let’s just say that Rabbit and Buffalo concoct an amazing ruse that involves a valley, other birds of prey, and really tight buttocks. Rabbit taught me growing up to be humble and accept life’s lessons. Maybe I’ll create a recipe sometime in honor of Rabbit, but today’s recipe is about my second long-eared hero: Peter Rabbit.
(Side note...There's a new Peter Rabbit film out there these days, and from what I hear has a great scene with blackberries. It was released a little too soon for Easter and not really like the classic Peter that I fell in love with...but I'm sure little kids are having a ball with it anyway.)
Why love Peter Rabbit? First...He's cute. Thanks to Beatrix Potter, we now know that all rabbits are cuter in tiny outfits. So I admit, the cuteness is what originally led me to Peter. Then, after reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, I realized Peter was a rebel!
When his three, docile siblings listened to their mother and stayed out of Mr. McGregor’s garden, what did he do? He went there straight away and ate till he was sick. And did Mr. McGregor spot him in the garden? You betcha. Of course, a long chase ensues and Peter nearly loses his tail. Oh, Peter...how I identify with you….
Thankful for the Sparrows
At one point in the story, Peter’s little brass buttons catch on a net, and he is so tired and afraid that he cries big tears and decides all is lost. But then a few friendly sparrows arrive and encourage him to keep going. Thankfully, he makes it out of the garden just in time. But if it hadn’t been for the sparrows, or Peter literally cutting his losses along the way, he surely would have ended up in a pie like his father, which Beatrix Potter didn’t hesitate to mention. The shock of it!
How many times have our own sparrows shown up right when we’re shedding big “I give up” tears? I know I’ve had my share. I bet the amount of sparrows in a person’s lifetimes would fill a vast canyon.
Chamomile...or Wine
Along with sparrow-encouragement, how amazing it has been after a particularly tough trial, to have a friend or a caring someone to not offer words, but instead offer something of comfort—all while giving you a silent, “I understand.” And this is exactly what Peter’s mother does. Instead of punishing the poor bunny, she sends him to bed with a spoonful of strong chamomile tea. The adventure alone surely taught him lessons enough.
When I was little, I thought that putting Peter to bed with tea was punishment, but as an adult I know all too well what that really is. I remember something terrible happened one day in middle school. I think it was after someone pushed me during cheerleading tryouts, causing me to pull a muscle and blow my chances. I was on the couch in our living room crying. My mother went into the kitchen and brought me back a tiny sherry glass of wine and let me cry it out.
Blackberries, Cream, and Bread
But what about Peter’s docile siblings, you ask? What do they get for taking their mother’s word of warning that day? Blackberries with bread and cream. Yum. I like to think that the following day, Peter’s mom gives him a few blackberries of his own. Then he can sit and eat with his new-found wisdom.
So in honor of Peter, his understanding mother, his docile siblings, and all the sparrows in the world, this week’s recipe is blackberry cake. And whether this week was harrowing as Hades or as peaceful as a bunny, I say: invite over your sparrows and have some cake and tea in the kitchen.
Images by Elise McMullen-Ciotti and PlusGreenMedia
Blackberry and Peter design by PlusGreenMedia
Illustrations by Beatrix Potter
Hare and Moon painting by Lucy Dawson
Blackberry Cake with Whipped Cream & Chamomile Tea
Recipe by Elise McMullen-Ciotti
A version of Elise’s recipe was first published on JudyNewmanAtScholastic.com
Ingredients
⅓ cup sugar
6 ½ tablespoons butter (plus 1 tablespoon for greasing cake pan)
2 eggs
⅓ cup milk
1 cup flour (plus 6 tablespoons for flouring cake pan and dusting blackberries)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest (or the zest of one lemon)
Powdered sugar for dusting finished cake
Tools
2 medium-size mixing bowls
Assorted measuring cups and spoons
6-inch round cake pan
Butter knife
Microplane (for zesting)
Electric hand mixer (you can use your muscles and a spoon, it just takes longer)
Spatula
Small sieve
Cooling rack
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix butter and sugar with a spoon in a medium-size mixing bowl until it’s creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix on low speed until well blended and frothy. (Reserve the 1 tablespoon of remaining butter for greasing the pan.)
- Thoroughly mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest in another bowl.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, mixing on low after each addition until thoroughly combined. Then turn up the speed and mix until batter is smooth and light. If you’re using your muscles, best use a whisk and then a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides from time to time while mixing.
- Now use the tablespoon of butter to grease a 6-inch round cake pan. Place the pan on a sheet of parchment paper and trace the bottom of the pan. Cut out the paper and lay into the bottom of the buttered pan. Butter the paper. Coat the pan with 3 tablespoons of flour and then tap the pan to remove excess. (Do this over a sink to keep flour from going everywhere.)
- Dust blackberries with the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour and place them in the bottom of the cake pan. Add in half the batter. Use a spatula to cover the blackberries thoroughly with the batter. Dot the remaining blackberries into the pan. Add the rest of the batter.
- Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove your cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let cool about 25 minutes and then remove the parchment paper. Place your cake on a serving dish and dust with powdered sugar.
- While you are waiting for your cake to cool, whip up some heavy cream to soft peaks if you’re not getting yours from a can. Then prepare your tea. I suggest purchasing loose chamomile tea so that it can be mixed with other ingredients like hibiscus or ginger. But no matter how you choose to drink your tea, it goes brilliantly with blackberry cake. Enjoy Steemians!
